Within the year, tire dealers should expect to gain access to inventory of five new wholesale truck tires from Kumho. Since its new Chinese radial truck and bus tire factory was added to company’s manufacturing resources last December, Kumho USA has had extended access to truck tires. 5 new models are expected in 2009, including a drive, steer and trailer tire, an on/off highway steer and trailer tire, and a wide-base tire.

Welcome to a new series of posts on Tire Blog which will include an ongoing list of the most important tire safety tips. The first tip in this series is simple, easily overlooked, but very important: Make sure you check your tire pressure at least once per month.

Maintaining proper inflation of your tires is critical to ensuring that they can do their jobs effectively. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, underinflation is the number one cause of tire failure that results in auto accidents. Your tires may lose pressure for any number of reasons, including the natural leakage of compressed air through the porous tire membrane. Tire pressure can also decrease in cold weather or as a result of structural damage to the tire itself.

An underinflated tire will not provide the level of crisp handling that it is designed for. Over time the tread will begin to wear out unevenly, and if not remedied quickly, the tire may become unsuitable for driving. Due to all of the safety concerns involved with properly inflating and maintaining your tires, it’s essential that you keep an eye on tire pressure and use a gauge to check air levels at least once a month. If you are planning on taking a trip over 200 miles, it’s recommended that you inflate your tires before you set out on your journey.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay (sm) brand was created in 2004 to help consumers identify cleaner, more fuel-efficient transportation options. Since 2004, a handful of tires have earned the SmartWay seal of approval, and now Yokohama is adding three more models of commercial truck tires to the list. Yokohama’s RY617 steer tire, 703ZL drive tire and RY 587MC2 trailer tire were all found to have low levels of rolling resistance, a design feature which helps to save fuel and subsequently reduces harmful emissions.

“Yokohama is honored to be recognized by the EPA for our efforts to produce truck tires that help save fuel and protect the environment,” said John Cooney, Yokohama director of commercial sales. “Receiving approval into the SmartWay program reinforces our pledge to our commercial customers to produce the most technologically-advanced tires on the market.”

As demand for tires with low rolling resistance increases in the next few years, expect many manufacturers to overhaul their engineering approaches. When the technology becomes sufficiently advanced, eco-friendly tires won’t be an aftermarket luxury – they’ll most likely show up as original equipment fitments on stock vehicles directly from auto manufacturers.

When setting out to purchase new tires for your vehicle, it may be difficult to narrow down the available selection. Obviously, you’ll want to select tires that fit your car or truck, but what else do you need to know before making a final decision? Before buying new tires, go through this list of questions. The answers you come up with should help you highlight your specific needs. The answers will also make it easier for a salesperson to help you find the right tires, since they don’t have to waste time talking about units that you don’t or won’t need.

What type of tires are on your car now? Are they OE (original equipment), snow tires, high-performance, etc?

Do you like your current tires? (Do they provide a smooth ride and sharp handling? Do you like the overall aesthetics?)

Which is more important to you: sharp handling and stop-on-dime deceleration or a smoother ride and long lifespan?

Do you care what your tires look like? If so, what type of look are you going for?

The answers to these 5 questions should give you some direction in your search for new tires. Spend some time doing research online or over the phone, then head over to your local tire shop to see what they can order from their wholesale tire dealer. Shops love to work with educated customers since it makes their lives easier. If you do your homework, everyone wins in the end.

As gas and energy prices continue to remain a top concern for drivers, tire manufacturers are exploring new ways to meet the eco-friendly and money-saving demands of their consumer base. Michelin announced today that they have completed the design of an all-new energy-saving tire that is “unprecedented” in the industry. The Michelin Energy Saver All-Season tire will debut at 2009 North American International Auto Show and will be available for purchase in the summer.

According to the press release, Michelin engineers were able to create the fuel-efficient tire by working to decrease the levels of rolling resistance in the tires. Precision engineering techniques reduce the sound and heat created as a byproduct of the rubber contacting asphault, which results in less energy loss.

“During these trying economic times, it is essential that we provide consumers with a product that is long-lasting, good for the environment and a smart investment,” said Florent Menegaux, president of Michelin’s worldwide passenger car and light truck tire business and a member of the Michelin Group Executive Council. “The Michelin Energy Saver All-Season tire provides the solution that consumers are looking for. It’s everything you would expect from a Michelin and more.”

The target market for the new tires are vehicle owners who drive less than 10,000 miles per year and want an eco-friendly alternative to regular radials. Check with your local wholesale tire distributor in a few months to see when these tires will become available for distribution.

Each year, Americans discard over 290 million used passenger and truck tires. While efforts to reclaim junked tires aim for an 80% recovery rate, the tires that aren’t recycled, re-treaded, or re-used end up in landfills where they pose serious environmental and health risks. Follow these tips to make sure your tires don’t end up in one of these “tire graveyards.”

Understand and abide by state regulations. 48 states have official regulations when it comes to recycling scrap tires. To find out information for your state, contact the local department of environmental protection. The Rubber Manufacturers Association keeps an updated list of contact information for these state agencies.

When it’s time to replace your tires, work with an environmentally-conscious shop that participates in an official scrap tire management program. Often shops may collect a small fee for each scrap tire they handle. Paying this inexpensive fee (from fifty cents to two dollars per tire) is a great way to ensure that your tires will be dealt with in a responsible fashion once their lifetime of road use has come to an end.

You can support tire recycling programs by purchasing products manufactured with recycled rubber from scrap tires. Thanks to the durability of tires, even worn out radials can usually be recycled efficiently into new high-quality products.

Do your part to prevent and report the illegal dumping of tires around your home, business, and community. For information about fighting back against this widespread problem, read the EPA handbook about illegal tire dumping.

Self-inflating tires are a great example of a “why didn’t I think of that?” idea. This creative concept relies solely on atmospheric air, a peristaltic pump, and a release valve to maintain perfect tire inflation levels at all times. With the SIT, tires that are low on air are gradually inflated back to their proper PSI levels simply by driving around on them. Once the tire is properly inflated, the SIT stops drawing air from the environment automatically!

According to the manufacturer of these self-inflating tires, “driving for less than 1 mile would compensate for typical leakage of 1 to 3% per month.” For more information on the mechanisms that make the self-inflating tire possible, visit the manufacturer’s web site.

Self-inflating tires result in instant improvements in safety, fuel efficiency, and tire longevitity. This means more money in your pockets and more time on your hands, which you would’ve spent filling your tires at the gas station. At a time when fuel-efficiency is the number one thing on people’s minds when it comes to their vehicles, self-inflating tires seem like a pretty attractive option.